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McAfee Labs Threat Advisory
Ransom Cryptolocker
November 12, 2014
McAfee Labs periodically publishes Threat Advisories to provide customers with a detailed analysis of prevalent
malware. This Threat Advisory contains behavioral information, characteristics, and symptoms that may be used to
mitigate or discover this threat, and suggestions for mitigation in addition to the coverage provided by the DATs.
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Summary
Ransom Cryptolocker is a ransomware that on execution locks the user's system, thereby leaving the system in an
unusable state. It also encrypts the list of file types present in the user’s system. The compromised user has to pay
the attacker with a ransom to unlock the system and to get the files decrypted.
McAfee detects this threat under the following detection name[s]:
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Ransom-[Variant Name]!partialMD5
Detailed information about the threat, its propagation, characteristics, and mitigation are in the following sections:
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Infection and Propagation Vectors
Mitigation
Characteristics and Symptoms
Restart Mechanism
McAfee Foundstone Services
Infection and Propagation Vectors
The malware is being propagated via malicious links in spam emails, which leads to pages exploiting common
system vulnerabilities. These exploit pages will drop Ransom Cryptolocker and other malicious executable files on
the affected machine.
A recent variant of the malware is still using spam as a propagation vector, but instead of links to exploit sites, it
comes with an attachment in the form of a Word file. The Word document contains a VB macro that will download
the malware directly to the user’s machine.
When opened, the document will attempt to disguise as a valid Microsoft Office warning telling the user to enable
Macros, like in the following example:
Figure 1: Office document with Macro
The spam message is targeting mainly users in the Netherlands, even though infections can occur anywhere due
to the methods used in propagation. The Subjects seen so far include these:
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Den Haag - Incassoburea Nederland.
Den Haag - Intrum Justitia
Den Haag - Intrum Incasso
Den Haag Incasso Nederland.
INCASSO NEDERLAND.
*INCASSO* NEDERLAND.
The attachments are .doc or .zip files that may be named as one of the following examples:
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Order5611041101.doc
Order561104146.doc
Order561104112.zip
Order561104133.zip
Processing1011201435.doc
Processing1011201435.zip
The malicious documents being used in these spam campaigns are detected by the following name[s]:
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W97M/Downloader.[variant name]
Coverage for the above mentioned detection names are available from the production DAT 7623.
Mitigation
Mitigating the threat at multiple levels such as file, registry, and URL could be achieved at various layers of McAfee
products. Browse the product guidelines available here (click Knowledge Center, and select Product
Documentation from the Content Source list) to mitigate the threats based on the behavior described below in the
“Characteristics and symptoms” section.
Refer the following KB articles to configure Access Protection rules in VirusScan Enterprise:
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KB81095 - How to create a user-defined Access Protection Rule from a VSE 8.x or ePO 5.x console
KB54812 - How to use wildcards when creating exclusions in VirusScan Enterprise 8.x
Ransom Cryptolocker usually installs itself into the Application Data folder. However, the new variant is installed in
the C:\Windows folder with a random filename, like the following example:
 C:\WINDOWS\ixineden.exe
It also creates a folder in %APPDATA% to save its configuration files:
 C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\oziqemegewypyvuh
Users can configure and test Access Protection Rules to restrict the creation of new files and folders when there
are no other legitimate uses.
Select New files being created and add the following file location in File or folder name to block:
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[OS installed drive]\Documents and Settings\[logged in user]\ Application Data\*.exe [For windows XP]
[OS installed drive]\Users\[logged in user]\AppData\Roaming \*.exe [ For Windows 7]
It is also recommended that you select and test the Files being executed option for the above folders, and add
only known legitimate programs under the Application Data folder to Processes to exclude.
Also, users can configure Access Protection Rules to prevent the files from being encrypted by the Cryptolocker.
Select Write access to files and New files being created. Include the following file location in Processes to
include:
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[OS installed drive]\Documents and Settings\[logged in user]\ Application Data\*.exe [ For windows XP]
[OS installed drive]\Users\[logged in user]\AppData\Roaming \*.exe [ For Windows 7]
Similarly, add the file type in File or folder name to block to prevent the encryption. Users can configure similar
rules for all other file types that are encrypted by Cryptolocker.
For blocking all types of files being modified by Cryptolocker, use:
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[OS installed drive]\Documents and Settings\[logged in user]\ Application Data\*.* [ For windows XP]***
[OS installed drive]\Users\[logged in user]\AppData\Roaming \*.* [ For Windows 7]***
HIPS
To blacklist applications using a Host Intrusion Prevention custom signature, refer to KB71329.
To create an application blocking rules policies to prevent the binary from running, refer to KB71794.
To create an application blocking rules policies that prevents a specific executable from hooking any other
executable, refer to KB71794.
To block attacks from a specific IP address through McAfee Nitrosecurity IPS, refer to KB74650.
*** Disclaimer: Use of *.* in an access protection rule would prevent all types of files from running and being
accessed from that specific location. If specifying a process path under Processes to Include, the use of wildcards
for Folder Names may lead to unexpected behavior. Users are requested to make this rule as specific as possible.
New Variant (November 2014)
Because the new variant uses spam attachments to spread, users may want to follow some other mitigation
procedures to avoid this threat:
 Instruct users to not open unknown or unsolicited attachments.
 Ensure Microsoft Office Security policies for macros are set to High or Very High.
 Ensure GTI is enabled on gateway devices and endpoints.
 Ensure there are no allow list policies that exempt .doc/.docx attachments from spam/AV scanning.
Deny messages with the following subjects:
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Den Haag - Incassoburea Nederland.
Den Haag - Intrum Justitia
Den Haag - Intrum Incasso
Den Haag Incasso Nederland.
INCASSO NEDERLAND.
*INCASSO* NEDERLAND.
Users of the following products may want to check if GTI is enabled in order to block the IP addresses being used
to send spam:
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SaaS
Email & Web Security 5.6
Email Gateway (7.x or later) 7.5
Email Gateway (7.x or later) 7.0
GroupShield for Microsoft Exchange 7.0.x
Desktop users need to enable the Outlook plugin and also install the Site Advisor browser plugin to detect the
spam attachment before it is opened and block access to the malicious domains.
Characteristics and Symptoms
Description
Ransom Cryptolocker belongs to a family of malware that encrypts the compromised user files available in the
system and demands the user to pay a ransom to retrieve the files. The contents of the original files are encrypted
using AES Algorithm with a randomly generated key.
Once the system is infected, the malware binary first tries to connect to a hard coded command and control server
with IP address 184.164.136.134. If this attempt fails, it generates a domain name using random domain name
algorithm and appends it with one among the following domain names:
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.org
.net
.co.uk
.info
.com
.biz
.ru
Once the system initiates the communication with the remote C&C server, the malware binary proceeds to the next
step, which is to encrypt the compromised user files in the system. After generating the AES encryption key and
submitting it to the C&C server, the malware binary searches for the below mentioned file types in the user system
fixed and removable devices.
List of file types the malware encrypts:
*.odt
*.xls
*.ods
*.xlsx
*.odp
*.xlsm
*.odm
*.xlsb
*.odc
*.xlk
*.odb
*.ppt
*.doc
*.pptx
*.docx
*.pptm
*.docm
*.mdb
*.wps
*.accdb
*.pst
*.dwg
*.dxf
*.dxg
*.wpd
*.rtf
*.mdf
*.dbf
*.psd
*.pdd
img_*.jpg
*.dng
*.arw
*.srf
*.bay
*.crw
*.dcr
*.kdc
*.erf
*.mef
*.mrf
*.nef
*.nrw
*.orf
*.raf
*.raw
*.ptx
*.pef
*.srw
*.der
*.cer
*.crt
*.pem
*.pfx
*.eps
*.indd
*.cdr
????????.jpg
????????.jpe
Encryption Technique
The malware uses an AES algorithm to encrypt the files. The malware first generates a 256-bit AES key and this
will be used to encrypt the files. In order to be able to decrypt the files, the malware author needs to know that key.
To avoid transmitting the key in clear text, the malware will encrypt it using an asymmetric key algorithm, namely
the RSA public/private key pair.
This newly generated AES key is encrypted using the unique RSA public key created by the malware author and
present in the malicious executable. This encrypted key is then submitted to the C&C server. The only way to
recover the key after the malware finishes executing is by having the RSA private key associated with the public
key used.
This key is only known to the malware author, and is never transmitted via the network or present in the infected
machine. Hence, it’s impossible to recover the user’s encrypted files without that key after they have been infected.
Once the system is compromised, the malware displays the below mentioned warning to the user and demand
ransom to decrypt the files.
Figure 2: Ransom Cryptolocker Desktop wallpaper
Figure 3: Ransom Cryptolocker Warning Message
Figure 4: New variant of Cryptolocker targeting Dutch users.
It maintains the list of files that were encrypted by this malware under the following registry entry:
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HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\CryptoLocker\Files
On execution, this malware binary copies itself to %AppData% location and deletes itself using a batch file:
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%AppData%\{2E376276-3A5A-0712-2BE2-FBF2CFF7ECD5}.exe
NOTE: %AppData% refers to the current user’s Application data location.
The malware author receives the ransom amount from the compromised user from one among the following
payment methods:
Figure 4. Payment methods used by the attackers
Network Connections
Cryptolocker uses the DGA (Domain Generation Algorithm) to generate the Random Domain names hourly based.
The following are some of the observed domains of the C&C servers:
soudpmiyvxmd.org
wxfaxwfotkcp.co.uk
avlpfgiqwdudk.info
irvggrirvsqqy.com
gbpboroxfiep.co.uk
xvaqocjidsht.info
ngmneoxxoisqk.com
jnwsjavtnkvmh.net
ofoauksakmgs.info
soywduppiyvf.com
udsmjlwhfkmeg.net
dyddkwwieairg.biz
crjxtpyytwxf.com
tmtntatjrhbj.net
intkitmowpkrw.biz
euepnfkkvrnnf.ru
qgyvutxttqaj.net
upjsdeujrdpv.biz
vlqtsbjlaojjg.ru
ehbktmjmyefwg.org
estttyesdbrv.biz
vnejtjydblua.ru
jvrrrjysrthwg.org
fdcwwuwoqvkso.co.uk
uwuexnaukgiy.ru
ynnivqvmcyxxr.org
hjxywcvnbotlg.co.uk
fxcyhrpfigvcu.info
vupuoseotond.org
mxoguylttevli.co.uk
ifylakjpsgyhf.info
sidwgwvsyqlxu.com
hdauthcpbwblw.net
oxibtrwnccaej.org
ntmpidpuhvjxm.com
pykluscfamoho.biz
unbssmidrhqhn.biz
dsfyhcdkeiprs.co.uk
opnclitaxswlu.net
qulxxxgkqjcun.ru
bnhdumqalrkij.ru
qdgwghjxusfnj.info
igemsolqdaotb.org
jjrtvxqpkhxem.org
loppindadxdnv.info
mkqclshftuqbu.com
tnfhkwqywydsb.net
hxgfjfggoebgr.biz
uvdotgvjluqgb.ru
New Variant (November 2014)
As of November 2014 a new variant of Cryptolocker was found targeting users in the Netherlands. This new variant
performs basically the same actions as previous ones, but with some important differences.
The threat is now using VB macros in .doc files attached to email to spread. The documents need to be opened by
the user, and macros must be active for the download to occur.
Once the macro is enabled, the following domain will be contacted to download the actual Cryptolocker sample:
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Hxxp : // imagecenterdown.ru / info.png
Hxxp : // officeimage.ru / a.png
Hxxp : // officeimage.ru / b.png
Hxxp : // officeimage.ru / image.png
The sample will be executed and will inject itself into Explorer before executing the malicious functions.
The first action after running is to contact the following site to post the generated key and receive information about
the infection:
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Deadwalk32.ru
It also tries to delete any information about Shadow Copy to avoid files being recovered by the user:
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vssadmin.exe Delete Shadows /All /Quiet
Another change from the previous version is that this one seems to be capable of stealing contacts from local email
clients to send spam. The malware will scan the system for the following files and registry keys to collect email
addresses:
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eabook.mab
history.mab
Thunderbird\Profiles\
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HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Account Manager\Accounts\00000001
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Account Manager
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Office\Outlook\OMI Account Manager\Accounts
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows Messaging Subsystem\Profiles\Microsoft Outlook
Internet Settings
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows Messaging Subsystem\Profiles\Outlook
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After that, as in previous variants, the malware will start encrypting all files with specific extensions on the machine,
adding the extension .encrypted to them.
Restart Mechanism
The following registry entry would enable the Trojan to execute every time when Windows starts:
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HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run\
o CryptoLocker "%AppData%\{2E376276-3A5A-0712-2BE2-FBF2CFF7ECD5}.exe"
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HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run\
o ywupytit: "C:\WINDOWS\ufivehen.exe"
Getting Help from the McAfee Foundstone Services team
This document is intended to provide a summary of current intelligence and best practices to ensure the highest
level of protection from your McAfee security solution. The McAfee Foundstone Services team offers a full range of
strategic and technical consulting services that can further help to ensure you identify security risk and build
effective solutions to remediate security vulnerabilities.
You can reach them here: https://secure.mcafee.com/apps/services/services-contact.aspx
This Advisory is for the education and convenience of McAfee customers. We try to ensure the accuracy,
relevance, and timeliness of the information and events described; they are subject to change without notice.
Copyright 2014 McAfee, Inc. All rights reserved.